Natural gas line explosion reported in Columbiana County

HANOVERTON, Ohio - A natural gas line explosion in Columbiana County resulted in large balls of fire that could be seen for miles late Thursday night.

Emergency crews responded to Hanoverton, near the Ohio-Pennsylvania line, for a reported natural gas line explosion just before 11 p.m. Fire crews reported that the fire was under control just after midnight.

Crews from the Tennessee Gas Pipeline, which is part of the El Paso Pipeline Group Northern Division, are on scene Friday morning to closely observe the pipeline blast site. All fires related to the original blast are out, with no residents or property affected.

Residents within a five-county area of the explosion, including residents as far away as Stark County and suburban Pittsburgh, reported seeing large plumes of fire in the sky for miles.

El Paso Pipeline Group spokesman Richard Wheatley said the explosion involved a 36-inch, buried transmission line that carries natural gas through the region. Mechanisms in the section that "failed" automatically shut off the segment and the residual gas burned off, he said.

Wheatley did not immediately respond to a message Friday seeking information about the age and condition of the pipeline.

In 2007, El Paso Corp. agreed to a $15.5 million fine as part of a settlement with the government involving an explosion in 2000 near Carlsbad, N.M., that killed 12 people camping near a 50-year-old pipeline. The settlement included a commitment from El Paso to spend $86 million to modify its 10,000-mile pipeline system.

Homes were evacuated and emergency crews had to set up shelters at United High School and Franklin Fire Department. As of Friday morning, all shelters had been closed because no homes were damaged.